A new twist on shortbread for the holidays

Christmas is drawing near, and that means it's cookie time. We love cookies, so we're rolling out a cookie a day until Christmas weekend. This is the third day. Check back, we have plenty more to come.Here's what we've covered so far: • 6 tips to ensure the best cookies• Paprika lemon bars• Cardamom chocolate macadamia cookies• • • The mildly floral, slightly exotic flavor of mace works perfectly in this simple shortbread that is flecked with citrus zest. Though we used tangerine, any citrus zest -- orange, grapefruit, lemon, even lime -- could be substituted. You also could use a glass with an attractive pattern on the bottom to flatten the cookies, creating an imprint on the finished cookies.Tangerine-mace shortbread 14 tablespoons (1 stick plus 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt Finely grated zest of 1 tangerine 1 teaspoon mace 2 cups all-purpose flourHeat the oven to 350 degrees.In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar, salt, zest and mace until creamy. Mix in the flour just until a dough comes together.Scoop out the dough in balls about the size of a walnut. Use the palms of your hands to flatten each ball into a round, then arrange on 2 baking sheets, leaving 1/2 inch between them. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.Makes 24 cookies. Per cookie: 110 calories; 60 calories from fat (55 percent of total calories); 7 g fat (4.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 1 g protein; 20 mg sodium.

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